Modbook 2.0: The original Mac tablet gets a makeover

"A Mac tablet? Isn't that an iPad?" That's the universal question I received when telling anyone about this review. When compared against the product's original launch in 2008, the ModBook Pro certainly has some new challenges when it comes to finding its niche in the "tablet" market. Back then, the idea of a tablet was something like the ModBook Pro—a full-blown computer whose screen was flipped around and could be used as a flat device, usually with a stylus. Nowadays, "tablet" usually refers to a product that's more slimmed down with some version of a mobile operating system—an iPad, or a Galaxy Tab, or a Surface.

On one hand, that kind of new competition is bad for the ModBook Pro. On a pricing level, an iPad or Surface is several magnitudes less costly than the $3,499 ModBook Pro. Not to mention, they're lighter, easier to carry around, and arguably more intuitive to use for the average consumer. On the other hand, the shift in the general definition of "tablet computer" has put the ModBook in a good position. It's the only tablet-like device out there that runs on real MacBook Pro hardware with a full version of OS X.